For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for May 14, 2018

for the record, El, you asked for somewhere else, but you didn’t specify like at the playground or the school gym

Judging from the picture, it appears the Patterson house is a brick veneer construction. Instead of the brick holding up the house, with brick veneer, the house is holding up the brick. Behind the brick veneer is a wood frame wall which is actually holding up the house. The brick veneer is, in effect, siding, which is why the wall behind Elly looks different from the wall Michael is throwing the ball against. It’s also the reason why Michael’s actions with the ball are so noisy to Elly.

At least he’s playing outside.

What goes around, comes around?

At first glance, I thought this was going to be another one of those strips poking fun at Michael’s music of choice.

LOL

The last panel reminded me. I need to go get some straight pins.

Growing up in Montreal, we used to play our ball games up against the brick walls of the houses on our street. I can quite clearly remember many an enraged resident shouting at us to play elsewhere.

Think about it, Michael. Your mother complained about the noise when you bounced the ball against the side of the house. Ergo, it stands to reason that banging the ball against another side of the house will result in…more noise.

For Michael, common sense is an uncommon virtue.

How about simply, Stop hitting the house with your ball.

Guess he didn’t learn much from Mother’s Day.

It probably never occurred to him that it was the noise that she objected to. Teenaged boys tend to be oblivious to noise.